Thirteen Russian nationals and three Russian entities were charged for waging information warfare using social media in an elaborate plot to "sow discord" with 2016's presidential election, federal prosecutors announced Friday.According to the indictment from the office of special counsel Robert Mueller, the defendants used the stolen identities of real Americans to post on organization-controlled social media accounts, purchase political advertisements and interfere in U.S. politics as early as 2014.By the start of the 2016 general election, prosecutors say, the aim of the posts were to lift up then-Republican candidate Donald Trump and tarnish his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton.Read the indictment here.Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein was careful to say in a news conference there is no allegation in the indictment of any effect on the election, but it "serves as a reminder that people are not always who they appear to be on the internet."President Trump, who has loudly called the scandal over the alleged meddling and potential collusion by his campaign a hoax, was briefed on the indictment by Rosenstein and FBI Director Christopher Wray in the morning. Some Trump campaign officials have previously been indicted or pleaded guilty on related charges related to the investigation, but these are the first criminal charges against Russian individuals. The indictment also says that Russians communicated with “unwitting individuals” associated with the Trump campaign and other political activists to coordinate activities.The White House responded to the indictment with the following statement:"President Donald J. Trump has been fully briefed on this matter and is glad to see the Special Counsel’s investigation further indicates—that there was NO COLLUSION between the Trump campaign and Russia and that the outcome of the election was not changed or affected."President Trump says, 'it is more important than ever before to come together as Americans. We cannot allow those seeking to sow confusion, discord, and rancor to be successful. It’s time we stop the outlandish partisan attacks, wild and false allegations, and far-fetched theories, which only serve to further the agendas of bad actors, like Russia, and do nothing to protect the principles of our institutions. We must unite as Americans to protect the integrity of our democracy and our elections.'"Trump also tweeted: "Russia started their anti-US campaign in 2014, long before I announced that I would run for President. The results of the election were not impacted. The Trump campaign did nothing wrong - no collusion!"According to the indictment, the Internet Research Agency, a Russian troll farm, started interfering as early as 2014 in U.S. politics. Prosecutors say it was funded by Yevgeny Prigozhin, a St. Petersburg businessman dubbed “Putin’s chef” because his restaurants and catering businesses once hosted the Kremlin leader’s dinners with foreign dignitaries. It was also funded by companies he controlled, according to the indictment.Many of the details back the conclusions reached by U.S. intelligence agencies, which contend Russia has interfered in American elections and those around the world. Many lawmakers have also long claimed Russia has tried to influence elections.“We have known that Russians meddled in the election, but these indictments detail the extent of the subterfuge," House Speaker Paul Ryan said. "These Russians engaged in a sinister and systematic attack on our political system. It was a conspiracy to subvert the process, and take aim at democracy itself. Today’s announcement underscores why we need to follow the facts and work to protect the integrity of future elections.”The defendants created social media pages targeted to certain themes - particularly on Facebook and Instagram. The pages posted information on a variety of topics, including Black Lives Matter and immigration, according to the indictment. They also targeted various regions, according to the indictment.“Over time, these social media accounts became defendants’ means to reach significant numbers of Americans for purposes of interfering with the U.S. political system,” the indictment reads."The conspiracy," the indictment says, "had as its object impairing obstructing, and defeating the lawful governmental functions of the United States by dishonest means in order to enable the Defendants to interfere with U.S. political and electoral processes"Some of the defendants traveled to the U.S. in order to collect intelligence and to purchase computer equipment, the indictment says. Some of the computer equipment was based partly in the U.S. to attempt to hide the Russian origin of the organizations and defendants.The defendants are also accused of working to stage U.S. political rallies. The indictments states that co-conspirators ordered posters for a "Support Hillary. Save American Muslims" rally. On the poster, a quote attributed to Clinton read: "I think Sharia Law will be a powerful new direction of freedom."The defendants: Mikhail Ivanovich BystrovMikhail Leonidovich BurchikAleksandra Yuryevna KrylovaAnna Vladislavovna BogachevaSergey Pavlovich PolozovMaria Anatolyevna BovdaRobert Sergeyevich BovdaDzheykhun Nasimi Ogly AslanovVadim Vladimirovich PodkopaevGleb Igorevich VasilchenkoIrina Viktorovna KaverzinaVladimir VenkovInternet Research Agency LLCConcord Management and Consulting LLCConcord CatreringThe Associated Press contributed to this story.

Thirteen Russian nationals and three Russian entities were charged for waging information warfare using social media in an elaborate plot to "sow discord" with 2016's presidential election, federal prosecutors announced Friday.

According to the indictment from the office of special counsel Robert Mueller, the defendants used the stolen identities of real Americans to post on organization-controlled social media accounts, purchase political advertisements and interfere in U.S. politics as early as 2014.

Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein was careful to say in a news conference there is no allegation in the indictment of any effect on the election, but it "serves as a reminder that people are not always who they appear to be on the internet."

President Trump, who has loudly called the scandal over the alleged meddling and potential collusion by his campaign a hoax, was briefed on the indictment by Rosenstein and FBI Director Christopher Wray in the morning.

Some Trump campaign officials have previously been indicted or pleaded guilty on related charges related to the investigation, but these are the first criminal charges against Russian individuals. The indictment also says that Russians communicated with “unwitting individuals” associated with the Trump campaign and other political activists to coordinate activities.

The White House responded to the indictment with the following statement:

"President Donald J. Trump has been fully briefed on this matter and is glad to see the Special Counsel’s investigation further indicates—that there was NO COLLUSION between the Trump campaign and Russia and that the outcome of the election was not changed or affected.

"President Trump says, 'it is more important than ever before to come together as Americans. We cannot allow those seeking to sow confusion, discord, and rancor to be successful. It’s time we stop the outlandish partisan attacks, wild and false allegations, and far-fetched theories, which only serve to further the agendas of bad actors, like Russia, and do nothing to protect the principles of our institutions. We must unite as Americans to protect the integrity of our democracy and our elections.'"

Trump also tweeted: "Russia started their anti-US campaign in 2014, long before I announced that I would run for President. The results of the election were not impacted. The Trump campaign did nothing wrong - no collusion!"

Russia started their anti-US campaign in 2014, long before I announced that I would run for President. The results of the election were not impacted. The Trump campaign did nothing wrong - no collusion!

According to the indictment, the Internet Research Agency, a Russian troll farm, started interfering as early as 2014 in U.S. politics. Prosecutors say it was funded by Yevgeny Prigozhin, a St. Petersburg businessman dubbed “Putin’s chef” because his restaurants and catering businesses once hosted the Kremlin leader’s dinners with foreign dignitaries. It was also funded by companies he controlled, according to the indictment.

Many of the details back the conclusions reached by U.S. intelligence agencies, which contend Russia has interfered in American elections and those around the world. Many lawmakers have also long claimed Russia has tried to influence elections.

“We have known that Russians meddled in the election, but these indictments detail the extent of the subterfuge," House Speaker Paul Ryan said. "These Russians engaged in a sinister and systematic attack on our political system. It was a conspiracy to subvert the process, and take aim at democracy itself. Today’s announcement underscores why we need to follow the facts and work to protect the integrity of future elections.”

The defendants created social media pages targeted to certain themes - particularly on Facebook and Instagram. The pages posted information on a variety of topics, including Black Lives Matter and immigration, according to the indictment. They also targeted various regions, according to the indictment.

“Over time, these social media accounts became defendants’ means to reach significant numbers of Americans for purposes of interfering with the U.S. political system,” the indictment reads.

"The conspiracy," the indictment says, "had as its object impairing obstructing, and defeating the lawful governmental functions of the United States by dishonest means in order to enable the Defendants to interfere with U.S. political and electoral processes"

Some of the defendants traveled to the U.S. in order to collect intelligence and to purchase computer equipment, the indictment says. Some of the computer equipment was based partly in the U.S. to attempt to hide the Russian origin of the organizations and defendants.

The defendants are also accused of working to stage U.S. political rallies. The indictments states that co-conspirators ordered posters for a "Support Hillary. Save American Muslims" rally. On the poster, a quote attributed to Clinton read: "I think Sharia Law will be a powerful new direction of freedom."